What were Celtic and Rangers up to on this day in 2009?
On 15 March 2009 Celtic scored two late goals in extra time to deny Rangers the League Cup, snatching victory in the most dramatic of fashions.
The win marked Gordon Strachan’s last trophy as Celtic manager, and the club’s 14th League Cup win in their history.
Interestingly, Celtic fans will recall the semi-final of the same campaign as arguably more nerve racking, as Dundee United took them to penalties, only for the Hoops to win the shoot-out 11-10.
In similar fashion to the semi-final, Celtic and Rangers could not score in 90 minutes, sending the game to extra-time. However, in the first minute after the restart, defender Darren O’Dea was on hand to head home a Shunsuke Nakamura free kick to send the green half of Hampden into a frenzy.
For the rest of extra time, Celtic were unable to penetrate the Rangers goal further, and were growing increasingly wary of an equaliser which could send the game to penalties again, and felt perhaps that they had rode their luck too much during the semi-final.
Nevertheless, as the clock ticked towards the final minute, Aiden McGeady made a trademark run off the wing and towards Rangers’ penalty box, drawing a foul to win a penalty which he duly stepped up and converted, sealing the victory for the Hoops.
Only one man remains a constant between the two finals, and that is none other than Celtic skipper Scott Brown who has gone on to win 12 more trophies in the green and white.
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